


If You Ever Come Back

by hemmovevo



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-10
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-16 10:55:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29331183
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hemmovevo/pseuds/hemmovevo
Summary: "FRED, I'LL MAKE YOU LOOK AT ME SOMEDAY," Yumi declares loudly. "And I promise that when you do, you won't be able to look at anyone else the same way again."Those were Yumi's last words to Fred Weasley nine years ago before boarding the Hogwarts Express ride home and disappearing. And just when he had finally made the decision to forget his feelings for the missing girl, George brings home an unexpected visitor - his fiancée. The catch? She looks exactly like the raven-haired girl Fred's been trying to forget.Upset by the sudden appearance of a woman that resembled his biggest heartbreak but unable to say anything about it, Fred tries not to put a damper on the happy couple's spirits as they plan for their upcoming wedding. But how can he survive being part of a month-long wedding preparation when every time he looks at his brother's fiancée, all he sees is the ghost of the only girl he's ever loved?
Relationships: Angelina Johnson/Fred Weasley, Fred Weasley/Original Female Character(s), George Weasley/Original Female Character(s), Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy/Ron Weasley
Kudos: 2





	1. Before

_**It's not her.** _

Fred thought, eyes flitting away from the unknown girl that had ran past him. His eyes continue to scan the throng of students on the platform getting on the train, hoping to find the person he was looking for.

It was January fifth and all of Hogwarts' returning students were gathered at Kings Cross on platform nine and three quarters, boarding the Hogwarts Express ride back to school. Much to Fred's dismay, it was still snowing outside, the atmosphere chilly.

"Now look at what you've done, Ronald Weasley!" A little girl's voice cuts through the noise of the station and for a moment he's distracted, turning to look behind him where his younger brother, Ron, and his friends, Harry Potter and Hermione Granger, were gathered around something on the ground. "You made me drop my croissants!"

"You didn't have to be so selfish about it, I only wanted one!" Ron argued back, scrambling down to gather the croissants scattered around their feet. "Here."

Hermione looks at Ron, mortified. "I'm not eating that anymore! It's dirty."

Fred watched the three, almost laughing at how terrified Harry looked as the boy's gaze went back and forth towards Ron and Hermione, unable to say anything to put a halt to the two's loud arguing.

"It hasn't been on the ground for more than five seconds," Ron reasons out with a roll of his eyes. "You're so sensitive, Mione. If ever you become my wife, I'd be doomed."

"As if I'd ever have any interest in you, you idiot!"

Ron takes the small basket Hermione's been carrying and fills the croissant back in but the girl refused to take it back, walking away with a huff. Spotting him in the crowd, Hermione walks over to where Fred was watching, looking like she was on the verge of tears.

"Your brother is such an arse, Fred," She sulked, grabbing a fistful of Fred's sweater and burying her face into his side.

He couldn't help but smile, patting the girl's back as a means to console her. She reminded him of Ginny, his younger sister, at how quick she was to cry despite putting up a strong front. A while ago, she looked ready to hex Ron in five different languages but now, she was sniffing quietly beside him.

"There, there, it's alright," He says, his breath forming white clouds as he spoke. "I'm sure he didn't mean it. Make up with him on the train, yeah?"

"Only if he apologizes first," Hermione agreed, letting go of his sweater and wiping her nose with a handkerchief.

Fred chuckled, ruffling her hair a little before saying, "Of course."

Looking around again, Fred spots his twin brother, George, making his way towards him. His brother wore an identical sweater to the one he was wearing but instead of snowflakes, George's sweater was decorated with penguins. He also wore a beanie that had the same design as Fred's sweater.

"I hate this weather," George comments as he approached Fred, taking off his beanie and shaking his head.

"I could always light you on fire when we get to Hogwarts," Fred offers and they both laugh. "Where's Ginny?"

"With Angie," At the mention of his ex-girlfriend's name, Fred shakes his head in disbelief and scan the crowd again. _Again?_ , he thought to himself. He looked down at the wristwatch he wore, his eyebrows furrowing.

It was almost eleven in the morning. The train would be departing soon.

Where was she?

"What's wrong with you?" George asks Hermione, crouching down to meet her eyes. Hermione tells him what happened, sniffing, and he stalks over towards the two younger boys. He proceeds to scold Ron, forcing him to apologize.

But Ron, like their older brother, Bill, was stubborn and refused to look at Hermione, claiming she was at fault as well. Which resulted in George snatching up a copy of The Daily Prophet from a passing student's trolley, rolling it up into a tube, and repeatedly hitting Ron's head while saying, "We. Don't. Make. Girls. Cry."

Fred felt someone grab his arm, their arms intertwining as the person wraps theirs on his. With a grin, he turns to look see Angelina. His smile immediately drops, disappointed. He had hoped it was her.

"Is it just me or is it colder this year than last year?" She asks, giggling. "Right, Freddie?"

"Angelina," He acknowledges her, quickly detaching himself from her grip and putting distance between the two of them.

The beautiful dark-skinned girl raised an eyebrow at him but didn't say anything. Instead, she reaches into her satchel and bring out a neatly wrapped box with a ribbon.

"Merry Christmas, Freddie, I know it's late but we never got to see each other during the holidays," She hands him the box with a smile. Fred stared at it for a while before reluctantly taking it with a thank you. "It's a sweater, by the way."

Great. Another sweater.

"I got one, too, Freddie," Ginny, who had been behind Angelina, announced, holding up her own box. "Angie knitted it herself. She even offered to teach me how to knit once we're at Hogwarts."

Fred couldn't help but smile, thinking back on all the times their mum had tried to teach Ginny how to knit but failed. But Ginny seemed to like Angelina a lot and was probably grateful for the female company. Of course there was Hermione but she was already Ron and Harry's friend, and Ginny didn't like sharing friends.

"Oi, lovebirds!" George calls out to them, one foot stepping on the train, a thrashing Ron slung over his shoulders. "And Ginny. Train's leaving soon. Get in here!"

"Let me down!" Ron protests, hitting his back repeatedly. "Freddie, help me!"

"Quiet, you!" George says, disappearing into the train followed by a giggling Hermione. Harry trails behind them, carrying the basket Hermione had brought.

"Let's go?" Angelina asks. Ginny immediately grabs onto her hand, excited. "Ready to go to Hogwarts, Gin?"

"As I'll ever be!" Ginny proclaims. "Let's go, Freddie!"

"I'll meet you there," Fred says, ruffling Ginny's hair. Ginny nods and her and Angelina get on the train, engaged in conversation.

The usual announcement of departure played throughout the platform and everyone hurried to board the train, except for him. Despite the announcement that the train would be departing in fifteen minutes, Fred didn't look fazed, patiently looking around in hopes to get a glimpse of the raven-haired girl he'd been looking for.

The crowd was getting smaller and smaller and still there was no sign of her anywhere. Fred waited a bit more until he was the last one standing on the platform.

"Freddie, train's leaving!" Hermione calls from a compartment, peeking from the window.

 _Just five more minutes_ , he thought, glancing back at his wristwatch. _If she's not here by the train starts moving, I'll get on._

Soon after, the train's engine roared to life. With a defeated sigh and a shake of the head, Fred turns and stars walking towards the entrance. He takes a step, then two, then five, then ten.

"Fred Weasley, you weren't thinking of leaving without me," A familiar voice came up behind him, making him automatically grin. He didn't turn around, afraid that the familiar knotting and churning in his stomach would start. "Were you?"

Fred turns around, trying to conceal his goofy smile, and met the girl's dark brown eyes.

"How dare you accuse me of such a thing?" He grasped a fistful of his sweater on his chest, faking a hurt expression. The girl rolls her eyes at him and _bloody hell, how can a simple eye roll be so beautiful?_ "You're late again."

"A Queen is never late, everyone else is simply early," She explains, using a line from one of her favorite Muggle movies she may or may not have forced Fred to watch one time. It was Fred's turn to roll his eyes.

"Yes, yes, we were all just early, Your Highness," He mocked. "Let's get you on your carriage, then."

He offers her an arm like a gentleman and the girl takes it, looping her own around his with a wide grin. The feeling of her so near to him and her bright smile beaming at only him made Fred's heart go into a frenzy.

Walking side by side, they get on the train together, conversing about what they had been up to over the holidays. Spotting the pair as they came closer to the compartment, Hermione leaps out of where she sat and ran towards them.

"Yumi!"

"Mione!" Yumi squeals in delight, letting go of Fred's arm to wrap around the little girl. "I missed you. How was your holidays?"

And just like that, Hermione had stolen her attention as they talked about baking and Muggle movies that neither Fred, Ron, and Harry could relate to. But did it really matter whether he understood or not?

All he knew was that Yumi was sitting right across from him, laughing at whatever lame and terrible joke his little brother had told, gushing over Hermione's Muggle celebrity crushes, and feeding Harry croissants.

His Yumi.

Smiling.

Laughing.

Breathing.

Alive.

The only girl he's ever loved.

_My Yumi._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer:
> 
> This is a work of fiction. Certain names, characters, business, places, events, locales, and incidents are products of my imagination and are used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or actual events is unintended and purely coincidental. I am, in no way, affiliated with the author of the Harry Potter series and I don't own any of the original characters in the book. Happy reading, Potterheads!
> 
> © 2021 HEMMOVEVO


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for taking interest in If You Ever Come Back! Before reading on, I'd like to give a short explanation to some aspects that I've made changes to in the story first. Please note, once again, that I don't own any of the original Harry Potter series characters.
> 
> First, the Weasley siblings' age gaps. In the original story, the Weasley twins were only two years older than Ron (three, for Ginny) but I adjusted it so that they are five years older (six, for Ginny).
> 
> Second, the story does mention the Battle at Hogwarts but is considered a minor event to the main characters' lives. Apologies for that.
> 
> Lastly, I am aware that several things that will be mentioned in the story (like The Princess Diaries) came out later than the original setting of the Harry Potter universe but since, as mentioned above, this takes place in a different setting, let's just pretend they exist in that time for the sake of the plot.
> 
> Also, please be kind as this is the first ever Harry Potter character fan fic I've ever written. If you like the chapter and would like to vote, please do so! Leaving a comment is free as well. I'd love to hear some feedbacks, or just some random keyboard smashes - whichever you prefer. Happy reading! :)

**_Fred couldn't sleep again._ **

The sound of a tree branch just outside his bedroom window was tapping repeatedly on the glass, creating a maddening noise that prevented the boy from drifting off.

Sighing, he gets up from his bed and trudge over to the window. With a lazy flick of his wand, the small end of the tree branch falls off to the ground and the room is finally engulfed in silence. When he could no longer hear anything but the wind and his own jumbled thoughts, he immediately regrets what he had done.

Turning on the light, he set his wand down on his bedside table with another sigh. He wanted to get out, go somewhere noisy. Somewhere with a lot of people. Because Fred would take any noise in exchange for the deafening silence, for his deafening thoughts.

He walks over to his walk-in closet (a spacious room he had gotten built over the summer), grasping the knobs and pushing it open, and skimmed through an endless rack of clothes. Thousands of Muggle branded pieces of clothing hung from every part of the room, from Calvin Klein to Armani, to Yves Saint Laurent, he had it hanging on a rack or on display in a glass case in the room (for the shoes).

But tonight, he didn't want to wear anything from his branded collection. Instead, he snatched a clean white shirt and a jacket, a pair of faded blue jeans, took out his favorite running shoes, and stalked out of the room, not bothering to shut the doors.

After he had changed into his clothes, he grabs his wand that lay atop of his bedside drawer and stashed it inside the pocket of his jacket. Checking the room again to see if he had forgotten anything else, he slams the door shut and ran down the steps of his flat.

Outside, the streets were silent, much to his disappointment.

 _Unbelievable,_ he thought. _I moved to one of the world's liveliest cities and it's silent. Hilarious._

Fred walks over to where he had parked his motorbike, debating whether to take it out or to use _Apparition_ instead. Though _Apparition_ could instantly take him to wherever he wanted to go, it wasn't as distracting as going for a ride.

And Fred needed distracting.

"Hey, neighbor!" Craning his neck at the voice, he sees his next-door neighbor standing outside his door. The man looked around his age and looked dressed to go out, as Fred was. "You're going out tonight, too, huh?"

"Yeah, thought I'd go for a ride," Fred answers, giving him a small smile as he turns his motorbike's engine on.

"Where are you going? Partying?" The man asks again, curious.

"Haven't really decided yet but who knows," A chuckle this time. "The night's young."

"Can't argue with that,"

The man, whose name Fred realized he'd forgotten, opened his mouth to say something else but the loud ringing of his mobile phone had cut off their conversation.

"Girlfriend," He says, shaking his head with a bewitched smile. Fred winced at the word. "Hey, ride safe, man. See ya."

He nods and the man turns his back against him, walking the opposite direction of where Fred was headed with his phone placed against his ear. He watched his retreating figure until it had disappeared from his sight, the image of his clearly lovestruck grin stuck in Fred's mind.

_Girlfriend._

The word echoed inside his head, on loop like a broken record.

He had a girlfriend once and she probably had him smiling the same lovestruck grin his neighbor wore, too. But perhaps his neighbor hasn't been with the woman for more than a year seeing how effortlessly a smile had crept up to his face at the thought of her. Fred knew men never smile the same when they've been with the same woman for longer than six months. He had observed this from his younger brother's relationships.

Somehow, over the years, his youngest brother, Ron, had grown up to become quite a ladies' man. Fred couldn't believe it at first. But soon, his brother had brought home one girl after the other, introducing her to the whole family as his girlfriend. But his relationships never lasted more than a few dates and eventually, their mum had forbid Ron from bringing women into the house unless he was actually serious about them.

Out of all the guys in the family, Ron was the only one who had a lot of experience with women and relationships. Even their older brother, Bill, didn't date as much as Ron had and he was the most good-looking one in the family, though he did marry Fleur Delacour three years ago. But marriage was an entirely different matter altogether.

Even Percy, whom they had always made fun of for being such a stick in the mud, had been with a few women in the past. George, his twin brother, has been dating someone for the past three years and Ginny, their younger sister, had recently started dating Harry.

And Fred, well, he was committed to his career. He didn't have time to fool around and date, at least that's what he tells people when they ask.

"You were the most good-looking lad in our year!" One of his old Gryffindor buddies had said to him one time when they ran into each other during one of Fred's business trips. "And, bloody hell, you still are, five years later. Can't believe you haven't settled down yet."

It's not like Fred had any trouble with women, of course. Sometimes, his friends would joke around and say that if he cared, he could probably have any woman in the world in the palm of his hands. There was a long line of women vying for his attention and Fred wasn't entirely blind to that fact.

But try as he might, he just couldn't find in himself the want for a relationship. He had told countless people that he was putting his family and career first, that a relationship could come later when he's satisfied of what he'd achieved.

That was why he had moved to New York in the first place, to escape the constant interrogation of his personal life, to escape the constant questioning.

And the constant looks of pity.

He hated that the most.

And he'd have to endure it again when he comes home next month.

Fred sped down the street, his grip on the handles of his motorbike tightening at the thought. He'd have to fake smiles again, laugh along to a bunch of lame jokes, attend a few gatherings, and get center stage on why he hasn't settled down yet. It was tiring.

And _bloody hell, the looks_.

The ones his wizard friends would share every time he tells them, for the _hundredth_ time, that he was _fine_ , that he was putting his career first.

And the _advices_.

An endless stream of them.

Telling him he should eat more, or less.

That he should come home more often.

Stop staying up so late and waking up so early.

Shave.

Don't shave.

 _Move on_.

Find someone to settle down with.

As if it were all that easy. As if his brother Bill had just woken up one morning and said to himself, "Hmm, what a pleasant Tuesday morning to make Fleur Delacour my wife." — no, it was a long process. One that involved a lot of painfully awkward dates, several fights, and a handful handwritten invitations.

"Nothing in the world ever comes easy, even for us wizards," Someone had told him back when he was struggling to study for his O.W.L.s. at Hogwarts. "Everything requires hard work, magic is just a little bonus point."

 _Magic is just a little bonus point_.

He never forgot those words, mainly because they sounded ridiculous at the time. Magic was the only thing he'd ever known, it was the only thing he trusted. Knowing someone referred to it as a 'little bonus point' was, for a lack of better word, strange.

But he, too, had soon came to understand what those words meant.

When he stood in the warmth of the sun that first day of spring.

His hand, grasping tightly at a bouquet of peonies.

His mind racing, pulse quickening, and stomach getting tangled in knots at the thought of the three little words he had been resisting to put down on every letter he had written to her.

The thought that he'd finally be able to say it, out loud.

To her.

He had replayed it inside his mind a few weeks prior and every time, he'd envision her bright smile. She'd most definitely run up to him and embrace him, and she'd comment about how he'd cut his hair, and they'd laugh, and just before she could catch her breath, he'll present to her the bouquet and finally utter those words.

And maybe, just maybe ... she'd allow him to give her a kiss. He had wondered, until now, how it would've felt. Was it as amazing as described in the romance novels Hermione had forced him to read? Did it really feel as if a swarm of butterflies were fluttering inside your stomach?

How does that even feel, butterflies fluttering inside one's stomach? Whose brilliant idea was it to depict a kiss by saying it felt like having butterflies inside your belly? Had they actually _felt_ butterflies in their insides? How did they get those in there?

Fred drew a sharp breath, struggling to maintain his balance. Calmly, he loosens his grip on both handles, the sound of the engine slowly dwindling as he stops to a halt by the sidewalk.

Brushing a hand through his now tousled hair, he looks up at the cloudless sky. Closing his eyes, he let out a shaky breath and a bitter smile.

"I guess we'll never know, won't we, Yumi?"


End file.
